How do I install the Paw Tools Release skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add pawbytes/paw-tools-release in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Paw Tools Release safe to use?

SkillMD's automated safety review verdict for this skill is PASS. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Paw Tools Release?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Paw Tools Release free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Paw Tools Release?

pawbytes (@pawbytes) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Paw Tools Release by pawbytes — Agent Skill

Name: Paw Tools Release
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: pawbytes

File contents

Release Automation

Overview

This skill automates the complete release workflow: version bumping, changelog generation, git tagging, and GitHub release creation. Act as a release engineer who ensures clean, traceable releases with informative changelogs.

Args: Accepts --headless / -H for non-interactive execution, --version <semver> to specify version explicitly, --branch <name> to set allowed release branch.

Your output: A complete release with updated version files, appended changelog, git tag, and draft GitHub release.

On Activation

Load available config from {project-root}/.pawbytes/config/config.yaml and {project-root}/.pawbytes/config/config.user.yaml if present. If config is missing, continue with sensible defaults.

Extract relevant config keys:

release_default_branch (default: main)
communication_language (default: English)

Detect --headless / -H flag. If present, set {headless_mode}=true for all stages and complete the release without user interaction.

Prerequisites

Before starting, verify:

Git repository — Must be in a git repository with at least one commit
GitHub CLI — gh must be installed and authenticated for GitHub releases
Clean working tree — Abort if uncommitted changes exist (warn in headless, prompt in interactive)

If any prerequisite fails, explain what's needed and offer to help resolve.

Workflow

Load and execute stages sequentially:

Validate → ./references/01-validate.md
Version → ./references/02-version.md
Changelog → ./references/03-changelog.md
Release → ./references/04-release.md

Each stage specifies its progression condition. If a stage fails, stop and inform the user.

Key Decisions

These guide the executing agent's judgment:

Version bump logic — If user doesn't specify version, infer from conventional commits: breaking: → major, feat: → minor, fix:/others → patch. When in doubt, ask (or patch in headless).
Branch enforcement — If configured, only allow releases from that branch. In interactive mode, let user override.
First release handling — If no previous tags exist, include all commits since repository start.
Pre-release versions — Support --pre-release beta/rc/alpha flag for pre-release versions.

Output Artifacts

Artifact	Location
Updated version files	Project root (package.json, Cargo.toml, etc.)
Changelog entry	`{project-root}/CHANGELOG.md`
Git tag	Pushed to origin
GitHub release	Draft, ready to publish
Release report	`{project-root}/.pawbytes/tools-output/releases/`

Scripts

./scripts/detect_version_files.py — Finds and parses version files across project types
./scripts/parse_commits.py — Parses conventional commits for changelog grouping

Run <script> --help for usage details.

---name: paw-tools-releasedescription: Automates software releases from version bump to GitHub release. Use when the user requests to 'create a release', 'cut a release', 'publish a new version', or 'prepare a release'.---# Release Automation## OverviewThis skill automates the complete release workflow: version bumping, changelog generation, git tagging, and GitHub release creation. Act as a release engineer who ensures clean, traceable releases with informative changelogs.**Args:** Accepts `--headless` / `-H` for non-interactive execution, `--version <semver>` to specify version explicitly, `--branch <name>` to set allowed release branch.**Your output:** A complete release with updated version files, appended changelog, git tag, and draft GitHub release.## On ActivationLoad available config from `{project-root}/.pawbytes/config/config.yaml` and `{project-root}/.pawbytes/config/config.user.yaml` if present. If config is missing, continue with sensible defaults.Extract relevant config keys:- `release_default_branch` (default: main)- `communication_language` (default: English)Detect `--headless` / `-H` flag. If present, set `{headless_mode}=true` for all stages and complete the release without user interaction.## PrerequisitesBefore starting, verify:1. **Git repository** — Must be in a git repository with at least one commit2. **GitHub CLI** — `gh` must be installed and authenticated for GitHub releases3. **Clean working tree** — Abort if uncommitted changes exist (warn in headless, prompt in interactive)If any prerequisite fails, explain what's needed and offer to help resolve.## WorkflowLoad and execute stages sequentially:1. **Validate** → `./references/01-validate.md`2. **Version** → `./references/02-version.md`3. **Changelog** → `./references/03-changelog.md`4. **Release** → `./references/04-release.md`Each stage specifies its progression condition. If a stage fails, stop and inform the user.## Key DecisionsThese guide the executing agent's judgment:- **Version bump logic** — If user doesn't specify version, infer from conventional commits: `breaking:` → major, `feat:` → minor, `fix:`/others → patch. When in doubt, ask (or patch in headless).- **Branch enforcement** — If configured, only allow releases from that branch. In interactive mode, let user override.- **First release handling** — If no previous tags exist, include all commits since repository start.- **Pre-release versions** — Support `--pre-release beta/rc/alpha` flag for pre-release versions.## Output Artifacts| Artifact | Location ||----------|----------|| Updated version files | Project root (package.json, Cargo.toml, etc.) || Changelog entry | `{project-root}/CHANGELOG.md` || Git tag | Pushed to origin || GitHub release | Draft, ready to publish || Release report | `{project-root}/.pawbytes/tools-output/releases/` |## Scripts- `./scripts/detect_version_files.py` — Finds and parses version files across project types- `./scripts/parse_commits.py` — Parses conventional commits for changelog groupingRun `<script> --help` for usage details.

Frequently asked questions

Paw Tools Release